Subject: DIS cals

From: Russet McMillan

Submitted: Tue, 29 May 2001 20:25:27 -0600 (MDT)

The time of year has come around again when we must remind observers
that it's desirable to log in early for first-half time. This is
especially true for DIS users who take cals in the evening. Because
the dome must be closed for DIS cals, they should be taken as early as
possible in order to allow the dome to be opened for cooling. Right
now we have many DIS observers who don't even log in until well after
sunset, when it's almost dark enough to focus the telescope. It's
desirable for the dome to be open at least half an hour before
focusing; otherwise you'll be get poor seeing and rapid focus changes
for the first few hours of observing. By waiting so late to do cals,
observers are losing on-sky time and degrading their image quality.
For DIS observers with first-half time, I strongly recommend logging
in to take cals at least an hour before the end of twilight. When
your cals are finished, the dome can be opened for cooling, and there
will be time to take a break and get some dinner before focusing.
If scheduling conflicts make it impossible for you to take cals early,
please notify the observing specialist of when you will be logging in.
The dome can be opened for a cooling period before sunset, then
re-closed for your cals, and this will still aid in cooling the
telescope.
Russet McMillan.
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